Method of preparing can ends for hermetic sealing to can-bodies.



J. A. GRAY.

METHOD OF PREPARING CAN ENDS FOR HERMETIC SEALING T0 CAN BODIES APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29. I916.

LQQSJFQO Patented Apr. 24, 1917.

2 SHEETS SHEET I.

WITNESS.

ATTORNEY.

J. A. GRAY.

METHOD OF PREPARING CAN ENDS FOR HERMETIC SEALING TO CAN BODI-ES.

APPLICATION FILED JAN. 29. I916.

L gfimg Patented Apr, 24,1911

2 SHEETSSHEET 2.

WITNESS.

J fmfi BY l4 A {QB TTORNEY- once,

JAMES A. GRAY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, ASSIGNOR TO AMERICAN CAN COM- ?ANY, OF SAN FRANCISCO, CALIFORNIA, A CORPORATION OF NEW JERSEY.

METHOD OF PREPARING CAN ENDS FOR HERMETIC SEALING TO CAN-BODIES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Apr. 24, 191?.

Application filed January 29, 1916. Serial No. 75,034.

To all 207mm it may concern:

Be it known that 1, JAMES A. GRAY, a citizen of the United States, residing in the city and county of San Francisco and State of California, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Methods of Preparing (Jan Ends for Hermetic Sealing to Can-Bodies, of which the following isia specification.

The present invention relates to a method of preparing can ends to be subsequently att ---ed to can bodies by means of an interfolded joint or seam, commonly known as a double seam, to form a hermetic seal, and resides more particularly in a method of applying ring liners to the flanges of can ends, said ring linersv being used as packing be tween the ad; went flanges of the can and the end, when the same are seamed or folded together, to form a hermetic seal.

The importance of making and maintaining an air-tight seam is well known, and need not be entered into herein, Bearing in mind that a leaky seem not only reflects discredit upon the canner, and causes financial loss thereby, but, also, when the canned material is a food product, presents a source of grave danger to the consumer, by permitting the formation of poisonous products, the object of the present invention will be more readily understood.

For insuring a tight seam, various forms of packing are known. to the art. The older forms of gum packing, however, are imperfect and unreliable, because, being applied to the flange of the can end, such gum dries out and cracks in many cases before the end is applied to the can, and the necessary handling which said end receives isvery apt to cause said gum to peel or to be rubbed off. lhe same objections apply to a fibrous ring liner gummed or glued to the flange of the can end; that is, being of an exceedingly delicate nature and of a material having absorbent qualities, the said liner is easily torn by the unavoidable handling of the end, and its usefulness thereby destroyed.

The above disadvantages are entirely avoided by the hereinafter described method of applying a ring liner to the flange of the can end, because said liner, when so applied,

.is not so readily mutilated. In this case the liner is heldwithin the recess of the flange until the end is applied to the can, preferably by the inturningaor curling of at one operation, thereby eliminating the necessity of a separate operation for curling the edge after the liner has been applied to the flange. This is of importance both from an economical stand-point, and also as a protective measure for preventing injury to the liner, because the necessary handling of the end attendant upon curling the edge of the flange is very apt to mutilate the liner, if the same has been previously applied.

In order to more readily comprehend the invention, a machine of a form suitable. for carrying out said invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, and will be described hereinafter, but it is to be understood that any form of machine may be employed to perform the desired results according to the des ribed method.

In the accompanying sheets of drawings Figure 1 is a vertical section of the operating parts of a machine for carrying out the invention.

Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, certain parts being broken away for the sake of clearness.

Fig. 3 is a sectional perspective View of a. portion of the assembling mechanism, showing a ring liner about to be applied to the flange of a can end.

Fig. 4 is similar to Fig. 3, showing the liner and end in assembled position.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, the reference numeral 1 designates a horizontally disposed turret, mounted upon a shaft 2, and provided with a series of spaced vertical openings 3, each formed with an inwardly projecting shoulder 4. Four of said openingsare, shown in Fig. 2 of the drawings, but any number consistent with practicabilityn ay be used.

At the position A, Fig. 2 of the drawings, a ring liner is cut from a web 5 of paper or other suitable material, anddeposited upon the shoulder 4 of one of the openings 3, by the following mechanism :An upper reciprocating die 6, Fig. 1 of the drawings, descends into and through a coacting stationary die ring 7 supported by a fixed bracket 8, and thereby cuts a disk blank from the web 5, positioned between said die members, and carries said blank downward until the same rests upon the shoulder at of the opening 3 in the turret 1. At the same time, a lower reciprocating die ring 9 is moved upwardly to clamp-the peripheral portion of the disk blank between the upper blank-die 6 and said lower die ring 9, said reciprocating die ring 9' moving through or within a vertical opening 4 formed in the fixed table situated below the rotatable turret 1, when one of the openings 3 of the said turret is brought into registry or an axial alinement with the said opening 4.

Immediately thereafter an upper reciprocating core-die 10, carried within the blankdie 6, is moved downwardly into the lower die ring 9, and by so doing shears a central core 11 from the blank, leaving a ring liner 12 clamped between the opposite die members 6 and 9. The core 11 falls through the lower die,- ring 9, and is removed by any suitable means, not shown in the drawings. The core-die 10 is then withdrawn upwardly into the blank-die '6, after which said blankdie 6 and the lower reciprocating die ring 9 areseparated by opposite withdrawal, leavder 4 in said opening, and into the channel ing the ring liner 12 positioned within the shouldered opening 3 of the turret 2.

The turret 1 is then rotated an amount equal to the angular distance between adjacent openings 3, that is 90 degrees in the machine illustrated. This movement brings the ring liner to the position B, Fig. the drawings, where it is not acted on, but a second ring liner is cut from the web at the position A, and deposited in the second shouldered opening 3, as hereinbefore described. A second fractional rotation of the turret 1 then brings the first ring liner 12 to the position C, where it is applied to a can end by the following mechanism :-A holder 13, adapted to contain a stack of flanged can ends, is located in proximity to the turret 1 at said osition C. A horizontally reciprocating feed slide 14, impelled bv its operating lever 15,Fig. 1 of the drawings, pushes the lowermost can end of the stack within thev holder 13 over the surface of a fixed table 16, and through a radially disposed groove 17 cut in the under side of the turret 1. Said groove 17 terminates at the opening 3, so that the can end, after being moved by the feed slide 14, occupies a position as shown at 18, within the opening 3 and in axial alinement with the ring liner 12 therein.

An assembling plunger 19 is then moved downward through the opening 3 of the turret, to force the ring liner 12 past the shoulcurled fia'dge 21, the liner must be dished or buckled by the assembling plunger 19, as

' shown in Fig. 3, to reduce its exterior diameter to clear said curled edgeof the can end flange. For this reason the face of the plunger 19 is relatively narrow, as shown, and engages only the inner portion of the liner 12. When the outer edge of said liner passes the curled edge or rim 21, its elasticity causes it to return to its normal form, so that said liner 12 occupies the final position shown in Fig. 4 of the drawings.

The assembling die 19 is then withdrawn from the opening 3, and the lined can end is carried around over the surface of the table 16, by the subsequent fractional rotation of the turret 1, to a position I), when suitable means are provided for discharging said can end from the turret, said meanscomprising, in the machine illustrated, an opening in the'plate 16 in vertical alinenient with the can end at'said position D, and a discharge chute indicated at 22 in Fig. 2 of the draw- The various operating mechanisms for actuating the above described parts in proper timed relation have been omitted from the drawings, such being unnecessary for an understanding of the present invention. It is understood,-however, that any form of mech anism may be used which will actuate said parts in the proper manner.

The invention resides essentially in a method of preparing can ends to be subsequently attached to can bodies to form a hermetic seal, which consists in placing a can end having a foldable recessed flange provided with a contracted entrance-way in spaced relation with a liner having a width greater than the width of the entrance-way of the flange recess, thence placing the liner into the recess of the can end by gradually M but temporarily distorting the same to pass through the contracted passageway of the flange recess, and causing the liner to assume normal shape by radial expansion when seated within the flange recess, and it is these features which are sought to be protected herein irrespective oi. the means employed for the'carrying out of the same.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to protect by Letters Patent is j 1. The method of preparing curled flanges of canends to be subsequ ntly attached to can bodies by means of an interfolded joint or seam to form a hermetic seal, consisting lie in successively positioning can ends having curled flanges, and out can end liners at greater external diameter than the diametrical opening of the curled flanges of the can end in axial alinement, and uniting the said curled can ends and said can end liners by forcingthe liners past the said curled flanges into the recess formed thereby.

2. The method of preparing curled flanges of can ends to be subsequently attached to can bodies by means of an interfolded joint or seam to form a hermetic seal, consisting in successively positioning can ends having curled flanges, and cut can end liners 01": greater external diameter than the diametrical-opening of the curled flanges of the can end in axial alineinent, temporarily reducing the. external diameter of the liners, and uniting the said curled can ends and said can end liners.

3. The method of preparing curled flanges of can ends to be subsequently attached to can bodies by means of an inter-folded joint or seam to form a hermetic seal, consisting in successively positioning can ends having .curled flanges, and out can end liners of greater external diameter than the diametrical opening of the curled flanges of the can end in axial alinement, temporarily reducing the diameter of the liners, applying the liners to the can end flanges, and permitting the radial expansion of the liners.

4. The method of preparing curled flanges oi can ends to be subsequently attached to can bodies by means of an interfolded joint or seam to form a hermetic seal, consisting in successively positioning in spaced relation can ends having curled flanges, suoely positioning in spaced relation cut c: a mil liners of greater external diameter L 151 the dian'ietrical opening of the curled flanges of the can ends, axially alining said can end and liners successively with each id uniting the said curled can ends can end liners by forcing the linrhe said curled flanges an? causing expand radially into recess thereby. we method 0? preparii f u ends to be subsequently attachcn "rs, by means of an interfolded joint or i i" form a hermetic seal, consisting 'ioning a can enl having an up and inwardl cur l flange forming \r lllii a retessplacing in axial with a can end liner of g aineter than the dianietn curled edge can en said curled can end and by forcing said liner past S1111: curled edge lilii) the recess formed thei y, The method, of prepari; can ends to be subsequent can bodies. by means of a or scam, to form a hermetic 5 'in} uniting the flanges the 3i led oint consisting van end liner in positioning a can end having its flange edge upwardly and inwardly curled to form a recess, placing in axial alinenient therewith a can end liner of greater external diameter than the diametrical opening of the curled edge of the can end, temporarily reducing the external diameter of the liner, and uniting the said curled can end and said can end liner.

7. The method of preparing the flanges of can ends to be subsequently attached to can bodies, by means of an interfolded joint or seam, to form a hermetic seal, consisting in positioning a can end having its flange edge previously curled out of the plane of the end and inwardly to form a peripheral recess, placing in axial alinement therewith a can end liner of greater external diameter than the diametrical opening of the curled edge of the can end, and uniting the said curled can end and said can end liner by forcing said liner past said curled edge and causing it to expand radially into the recess formed thereby.

8. The method of preparing the curled flanges of can ends to be subsequently attached to can bodies, by means of an interfolded joint or seam, to form a hermetical seal, consisting in separately conveying a series of such can ends and a series of ring liners, of greater diameter than the edgeto-edge' diameter of the curls of said flanges, successively bringing the can ends and liners into axial alinement, and uniting the said curled can ends and said can end liners Toy-forcing said liners past said curled edges into the recesses formed thereby;

9. The method of uniting a ring liner to a can end having a foldablcflange provided. with a recess provided with an opening of less width than the width of the liner, which consists in positioning a can end and a ring liner in axial alineinent, thence forcing the liner into the recess of the can end by gradually lflll) temporarily reducing the width thereof to clear the opening of the llangc recess, and thence causing the liner to expand radially when seated within the recess of the flanged can end.

10. An improvement in the art of uniting a ring liner to a can end having a foldable flange provided with a liner receiving recess having an entrance way of less width than the width of the liner, which consists in positioning the can end and ring liner in spaced relation, passing the liner into the recess of the flanged end by gradually but temporarily distorting the same to clear the contracted entrance way of the recess, and thence causing the liner to assume its normal slia'ie when seated within the flan e recess can end which overhangs part of the recess in which the liner is to be seated, which consists in positioning the can end and ring liner in spaced relatien, passing ihe liner into the recess 01" the end by gradually or termporarily distereiiig the same to pass by the said overhanging portion and thence causing the liner to assume its normal shape When seated on the can end flange. 10

In tesuimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in the presence of a subscribing Witness.

JAMES A. GRAY. 4 Witness:

D. B. RICHARDS. 

